"So searing it will burn forever into your memory. McIlvanney is the original Scottish criminal mastermind."--Christopher Brookmyre, best-selling author of the Jack Parlabane Thrillers The original Jack Laidlaw novels that changed the face of Scottish mystery writing. When his brother is killed in a tragically banal road accident, Jack Laidlaw sets off on a journey through Glasgow's underworld. There he will discover the truth about his brother and the city he thought he knew better than anybody. He will face some even harder truths about himself. Alive with wit, suspense, brilliant writing, all leading to a shattering climax, this third book in the acclaimed Laidlaw series does not disappoint. The greatest examples of Scottish crime writing and the founding novels of what has since become known as Tartan Noir, McIlvanney's groundbreaking Laidlaw books have earned the status of classic crime fiction. The third Laidlaw novel from the Father of Tartan Noir explores "the ruin of the body, the corruption of the soul and the shattering of society."--The Wall Street Journal